100 under-represented college students (20/year) will spend 9 weeks in a summer career development program sponsored by the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM). Participants will have to access to a range of facilities and educational opportunities in the Texas Medical Center. They will be selected from a nationwide pool that is anticipated to include more than 100 applicants. Participants will be selected by a committee of active researchers with extensive experience in undergraduate research programs. Students will be matched with faculty mentors in whose research they are interested and become functioning members of labs engaged in heart, lung or blood related research. The faculty are experienced in designing short-term undergraduate research projects. Some have mentored college students for 10 years in the NHLBI STTMSP and for 17 years in the Summer Medical And Research Training (SMART) Program. Students will be matched by interest and background to a project that will promote self-confidence, learning new technical skills and developing an understanding of how to approach and conduct research. They will be involved in research discussion groups. Students will use techniques like molecular biology, HPLC or MRI that may not be available on their home campuses. Students with an interest in animal surgery, bioengineering, or computer technology will be placed in projects that will develop those skills. The lab experience will be supplemented by daily seminars, career development and social/cultural activities sponsored by the SMART Program. They will be encouraged to talk with scientists, Ph.D. and MD/Ph.D. students, and administrators) regarding their careers. Options for graduate education, including a PhD program in cardiovascular sciences, will be presented by Ph.D. students at a Graduate School Night. There are 56 URM Ph.D. and MD/Ph.D. students at BCM. Students may participate in the SMART GRE Preparation workshops. STTMSP participants will enjoy the benefits of interacting with nearly 90 undergraduates from throughout the nation in the SMART Program, including 35% URM participants. The program will be evaluated through a series of surveys. We will maintain contact with participants through surveys, personal contacts and newsletters, to encourage them to continue working toward achieving their goals that include biomedical research.